Explanation: Almost all of these cuts are obvious, save maybe Pouha and Baker. The Jets will attempt to trade Tebow, but they have basically no leverage considering teams know he'll be released anyway. Josh Baker has potential to be a role player but he had to sit out last season. It wouldn't surprise me if he stayed. Pouha is an unfortunate cap casualty, and it's not a real possibility of extending his contract and moving his salary because he might be on his last lifeline; injuries have really slowed him down. He could comeback later in the off-season for a reduced salary if no other team offers him a decent contract, but it's unlikely.

C Nick Mangold: Convert 3,000,000 in roster bonus this year into prorated bonus over the remaining life of Mangold's contract (600,000 per year guaranteed money) Lowers his cap hit by 2,400,000 this year without falling into the same crippling restructuring that got the Jets into this mess.

LB David Harris: This one is a little more complicated and tougher for me to personally explain, but the essential part of this Harris deal is that his contract will be extended another two years, but more of the contract will be guaranteed. It stops us from cutting Harris at all in the next two season, which is an unimaginable action anyway, and lowers his cap hit significantly for this season. It's not a totally crippling extension, but it's still not really favorable to me. Still, something needs to be done to give the Jets room to work with now. In 2016 and 2017 we would be able to cut Harris and save money. Saves approximately 7,000,000 in cap space this year.

Most Jets fans believe Devito will be gone this off-season. I for one think Rex Ryan will gush about him during roster evaluations and the team will attempt to re-sign Devito. Sure, the Jets have Wilkerson and Coples, but they are also losing Pouha, Pace, and Thomas who have all spent large amounts of time playing on the defensive line. Devito will play mostly inside in 4 man fronts, and at DE in 3 man fronts.

Moore returned to a solid form this year after having a down year in 2012, I believe. He's very solid as a run blocker and highly unappreciated as a pass blocker. The Jets cannot afford to lose both of their starting guards as they have so many other holes on offense to fill, and Moore, the longest tenured Jet, will want to end his career in New York.

It isn't a secret that the Jets are happy with Howard and will try to retain him. They'll offer him another year on his contract (partly guaranteed) to take less than his tender this year. If he continues to improve, he could see an extension in 2014.

LB Josh Mauga: 1 year contract worth 600,000

Solid special teams contributor that the Jets will also want to keep to lessen the hit of losing 3 linebackers.

K Nick Folk: 1 year contract worth 1,200,000

Folk has been solid and will be resigned.

TE Jeff Cumberland: 1 year contract worth 650,000

Cumberland will be used situation-ally at the TE position. He is retained because of his athleticism and familiarity, and because he comes cheap.

S Yeremiah Bell: 1 year contract worth 1,400,000

The Jets are likely to roll with a lot of youth at safety. Having a veteran like Bell is a good idea, and he comes relatively cheap yet again.

Explanation on "Let Walk": The bottom three names on this list are unfortunate. While this isn't a rebuilding year, it's time for some changes. Dustin Keller has been a solid receiving option for the Jets, mainly as Sanchez's favorite option. He's not a dominate player, though, and he's going to want a pretty hefty contract. The Jets are better served finding a more versatile TE for a cheaper price and moving on from Keller, who is 29 years old. Slauson is a player I personally love, and if I was in charge I would try to keep him. The reality of the situation is that the Jets will not retain Slauson, who was forced to rotate all year with the man the Jets have hoped to replace him in the lineup (Ducasse). He'll most likely get a decent deal elsewhere. Landry is another player the Jets would love to keep, but he's already explained he won't take a hometown discount. He's going to garner a lot of attention in free agency, and the Jets won't be willing/able to keep up.

The Revis/Cromartie situation: Oh what Oh what do we do? It's really not feasible to keep both Cromartie and Revis any longer. If the team was in a better situation where they were still playoff caliber, maybe. The fact of the situation is, Revis wants a new contract, Cromartie played well and is getting paid well, Revis is Revis, and nobody knows what will happen. This is the biggest decision to make this off-season for Idzik. Option A would be to attempt to trade Revis, which would most likely require a team to agree to giving the man a hefty contract and the Jets receiving less value than they would want. Option B is to give Revis a contract extension, keeping his 2013 cap hit at the same spot but guaranteeing a boatload of money in the future. This would really dictate the future plans of the Jets with all of that money tied up into a star CB: there would be no chance of signing any superstar defensive players (pass rushers) in the future. This might also require Cromartie to be shipped out, as the Jets can't really handle both of those contracts anymore, and even if they could, is it smart to make the same mistake again? Option C is to let it ride, let Revis walk after the next season or two and take probably a 3rd round compensation (fans everywhere are gagging to that).

My prediction? Revis gets his extension. Idzik is going to want to find his pass rushers through the draft which has proven successful around the league anyway. The rookie wage scale makes this very attractive as money won't be eaten up into pass rushing specialists until they need to be resigned years down the line.

So here's the Revis Extension:

6 years, 90,000,000 with 40,000,000 being guaranteed. He'll want more, actually, but he IS coming off an injury, and that's a ludicrous contract to get after spending a season on IR. His Cap hit in 2013 will only go up by 2,000,000 (remember, his current contract was very front-loaded, so he's already been paid more for this season essentially).

Explanation: The Jets don't get fantastic value for Cromartie, but it really isn't bad. They free up 8,250,000 from Cromartie's cap hit, and sign Haralson to a 1-year extension which also lessens his 2013 cap hit of 2,870,000 to 1,750,000. Haralson would have been cut from the 49ers, as he is an experienced yet unspectacular player and the 49ers could clear cap space by cutting him, so the contract offer from the Jets is probably more than he would get in free agency. The 49ers have a ton of 2014 draft picks, but they're obviously in a position to win now and they know it. Cromartie could be a difference maker for them. They attempt to shop Alex Smith to the team, but the the world has seen Alex Smith in a WCO before, and his nearly 10,000,000 cap hit isn't very friendly, especially considering Sanchez is still on the roster.

The New York Jets trade Pick Rd5 #8, Conditional 2014 Pick (5th or 6th) to the Houston Texans in exchange for RB Ben Tate.

Cap hit for 2013: 900,000

The Jets have had their eye on Houston RBs as evidence by their Jonathan Grimes rental. Tate is still a young back that won't ever get a real chance for the Texans, and they're more than happy to move him for a couple of picks considering he's going to be a free agent next season anyway. Maybe the Jets give up too much here, especially if Tate doesn't resign, but he could be a good fit for the new offense.

New Cap Estimate: 104,400,000 (15,600,000 under)

Free Agency:

LB/DE Quentin Groves- 1 year contract worth 750,000.

Groves will be a rotational player. He hasn't lived up to his 2008 2nd round draft hype (I remember a lot of Jets fans wanting him) but he comes cheap and gets a chance to play for Rex Ryan. He recorded 46 total tackles and 4 sacks for Arizona last season, and is a younger, cheaper alternative to Pace and Thomas. He's not a starter by any means, but he's worth a 1year contract.

QB David Garrard- 1 year contract worth up to 3,000,000.

Veteran competition for Sanchez, mostly just because the Jets really need to get someone else. There's not a lot of free agent options. Alex Smith comes with a heavy price tag and might not be a great fit. Garrard was a major factor in the QB battle for the Dolphins last season before his injury. He'll get a chance with the Jets, and not much of his contract will be guaranteed. Garrard was always a solid, yet unspectacular player for the Jaguars in his time. For those of you who love Matt Moore, the Dolphins appeared to really consider keeping Garrard instead last season. I think he's a better fit, and I do like Moore but not for the Jets.

WR Donald Jones- 3 year contract worth up to 2,900,000 (900,000 in 2013)

The Jets need depth at WR, and Jones could be a pretty decent option. He's not a starter, obviously, and the Jets can't really afford to pay a free agent WR to be a starter. He'll mix in with the other WRs. If he catches on as a decent #3-#4 options, they'll have him for a few years at a modest price. Rex loves to sign former players of divisional rivals.

TE Anthony Fasano- 3 year contract worth up to 7,250,000 (2,000,000 in 2013)

Fasano is a solid blocker and a good route runner. I've wanted the Jets to look at him for awhile now, and I think this might be the year. Pair him with Cumberland's athleticism and a rookie to work his way into the mix and this position should be just fine.

Jordan is the best fit as a pass rusher for this team. He could stand to gain some weight, but it's not a big concern to me at all. His speed and absolute freakish size, paired with a natural pass rushing ability, is really what the Jets defense lacks. In fact, I'm nearly positive the Jets will grab a pass rusher at this spot unless they are impressed enough with someone like Glennon, or if Warmack falls to this spot. I see Jordan translating better than Mingo, who struggles with blockers more from what I've seen.

Dion Jordan will be a pass rush specialist in 4 down lineman sets, but he's also shown an ability to work into a LBer role as well. His speed could help against mobile QBs, which has been a noted problem for the Jets defense.

Other possibilities: Warmack- I think if Warmack is here the Jets might take him. He seems to be the biggest sure thing in the draft. It's not a top heavy draft, though, so he could go uncharacteristically high for a guard in an NFL draft. Glennon: If the Jets are high enough on Glennon that they won't dare let him fall into another team's hands. I doubt it, though. Taking him at this spot would mean he's ready to compete now, which he probably isn't.

Trade: The New York Jets trade up using Pick 2nd rd #9, 3rd rd #10, 2014 5th round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for the 24th overall pick.

Indianapolis is still a young team that is building through the draft. They skipped out on opportunities last year to acquire additional draft picks, but I they will want more to work with this year. They're not "set" on a number of positions, but rather have veteran temporaries and role players.

The Jets use their extra 3rd round pick (acquired from the Cromartie trade) in order to select....

1/24- Mike Glennon, QB N.C State

With Glennon falling past the teens and into the 20's, the Jets decide he's worth a shot. They have to grab him before the draft comes back around to all of the QB hungry teams in the top 10, so they start hitting up War Rooms for a trade.

Glennon has shown great ability with his arm. He can place the ball in tight windows and lead his receivers properly, which Sanchez has consistently been bad at. He needs work, of course, specifically in making proper reads. He has all the physical tools to help the Jets become an "attack" offense, and should be able to run a West Coast scheme with some proper coaching.

3/12- Kenny Stills, WR Oklahoma

I think the best fit of a WR for the Jets outside of the first round is Quinton Patten, but he will assuredly be gone by now. I really wanted to work a trade into the 2nd round to grab Patton, but the Jets just cannot afford to give up many picks with so much roster space to fill. Stills is a solid selection. He is a "pretty good" route runner and just looks the part of an NFL receiver. He needs to be a little less timid after the catch, but the Jets really need someone who can work the field well to even get catches.

4/9- A.J Francis, DT Maryland

Rex Ryan loves his defensive lineman, and I think he will love to see this kid on tape. He's a disruptive player and plays quick for his size. Francis is a little smaller than a 3-4 NT should be, but I think he has the strength and presence to play there rotation-ally. More importantly he can play on 4-man lines, which I see the Jets using a lot of. With Pouha gone, the Jets could use another defensive lineman to rotate with Wilk, Coples, Devito, and Ellis. Damon Harrisson will probably make the team only as a NT.

4/31- Chris Barker, G Nevada

Hard to find tape on offensive linemen, which certainly includes Chris Barker. Had to watch a few videos on other players from Nevada (Stefphon Jefferson was a nice double scout) to see him for myself. Scouts say he's not dominate at the OG position, which might be true. I liked what I saw from him. He seems to be aware of his responsibilities, moves well, and doesn't get caught high very often. Could develop into a starter for the Jets, who couldn't really afford any upgrades to an average-ish offensive line.

6/10- Chibuikem (Kenny) Ocoro, DB Wake Forest

Could develop into a late round steal. Has good size (6'0 203 lbs) and has been praised by his coaches for his intelligence. Ocoro is a 4 year starter for Wake Forest so he certainly has experience in the game. He hasn't shown great ability on the field, especially concerning how he plays the ball, but the potential is there.

7/9- Ben Cotton, TE Nebraska

Cotton is a huge question mark in term of pass-catching ability, as he didn't get much opportunity. To be honest, I wasn't really paying attention to that aspect. He appears to be one of the better run-blocking Tight Ends's available in the mid-late part of this draft. The Jets can draft him late and give him a chance to compete with Reuland and Hayden Smith for a roster spot._________________

Last edited by sandwhich on Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:50 am; edited 3 times in total

The FB position: As you've noticed, I've essentially ignored this spot. It's possible the Jets look at someone for real cheap, and its also possible they roll with someone like Reuland or re-sign Connor. It's not a priority, though, and really didn't fit into my plans anywhere.

Remaining Cap: After the draft the Jets should have about 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 in cap room. I believe it's important to have this space for a bit of flexibility as teams cut more players both before and during the season, and to leave room for trades.

Future picks: The Jets gain one future pick (4th/5th) but lose two (5th/6th). They'll probably be receiving a couple compensatory picks as well._________________

Last edited by sandwhich on Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:06 am; edited 3 times in total

Great work. I think some of these contracts (specifically DeVito and Fasano) are a bit too long.

3 years? Well, I consider both to be a 2 year contract with a 3rd year option, with very little guaranteed money in the 3rd year. However, both Devito and Fasano will get looks from other teams. I mean, they aren't hot names, but the Jets are going to have to offer them something more than a short fling at a low price. NFL players want stability. Just my take, anyway._________________

I have to change this because of the recent Tarvaris development. I've been really thinking about whether the Jets will actually make a push for Flynn and how they would have to do it. Thoughts?

I mean, people have been mocking trading a 3rd round pick for him...but I seriously doubt that Seattle could get anything close to that. Dude is a backup QB that hasn't started more than 2 games, was a 5th round pick, has a sizable contract, and Seattle just doesn't really have leverage.

I just don't see a QB in free agency that is a good fit, and I can't see it being ONLY a Sanchez/Rookie battle (I know I'm leaving out McElroy)._________________

I was hoping you were putting up part 2 tonight. Damn. Not bad so far. Not a giant fan of trading Cro though. I can't decide if I want us to go into a full rebuild or just attempt to upgrade._________________

Part of me feels like I'd rather not sign two or three of those guys and go after Landry. I know cap space in 2013 is tight, but the skies clear up big time in 2014. No reason we won't be able to do some work to make that happen.

Landry may still end up elsewhere, I understand, but I hope in real life the Jets make a push to keep him.

Sandwich. Outstanding work. You don't post often but it's always a pleasure to read your comments.

I like everything except how you suggest dealing with Revis. My view is that Revis is worth far more to us as trade value than to keep him and then all but bankrupt the organization to resign him. Cromartie did fairly well this year absent Revis. And yes, I understand that many teams passed less on us because they found success with the run. Nevertheless, as GM, I would trade Revis. The perfect trade scenario for me would be a team that wants Revis has to (1) also take Sanchez with his current lousy contract and (2) give us a 1st rounder next year.That's it.. that's the deal. That team essentially eats Mark's contract as the 'cost' for getting Revis. Remember, Revis is only costing around $6 mil this year and Mark is $8 mil so that team essentially is budgeting $14 mil to have Revis on their roster for 2013..a more than reasonable figure given his talent.That also would be a team that is prepared to give Revis his $100 million contract after 2013. There may be some teams who feel they are but a lifetime greatest cornerback away from the SB. And for us, we gain the cap cushion from dumping Mark once and for all.

IMO, the problem with trading Revis or Cromartie is that you're creating a need right now where one doesn't exist.

Given the fact that they will have to replace both starting safeties, I don't know if I'm comfortable giving up either corner. If they can't resign either safety and if someone like Allen can't slide into the starting spot, the team could be in the position of potentially having to replace 3/4 of the starting defensive backfield.

I don't really have the confidence in Wilson to pencil him in as a starter on the outside.

If they didn't have the large holes at safety I'd be more inclined to aggressively pursue trading one of the corners.

Of course, if a team is willing to give up the farm for either corner, that would certainly change things._________________“You don’t burn out from going too fast. You burn out from going too slow and getting bored.”

I understand this viewpoint entirely, but I don't believe Revis would "Bankrupt" the team in future years. We're in the position to get rid of some pretty nasty contracts over the next few years (Sanchez, Holmes, possibly D'Brickashaw) and there aren't many contracts that will be hitting backloaded bonuses. Pair this with the strategy I believe Idzik will bring of finding the majority of our pieces through the draft, and it shouldn't be too hard. The rookie wage scale is a huge help. The only casualty really is Cromartie, which is extremely unfortunate, but he's older and less valuable than Revis. Ideally I'd keep both, but I just don't see how it's possible. Also, it's going to be hard to package Sanchez and his contract along with Revis, since any trade is going to be contingent on Revis signing some sort of extension (possibly raising his 2013 cap hit). There's only a handful of teams even capable of taking on the close to 20 mil hit this year, and it isn't very likely that they'll be willing to give up some valuable draft stock AND a HUGE contractual commitment to Revis.

I honestly believe we need to abandon hope of getting rid of Sanchez's contract, hunker down with minimal restructuring, lose some of our big name free agents, sign simple value players, and move on. We aren't rebuilding; that would imply we are altering the core of this team, we're simply changing the organizational approach entirely.

Raoul Duke: I do no want Wilson to start. I looked at free agent DBs for awhile to try to find an alternative, but the only worthwhile ones available are going to want decent contracts also. The problem with keeping both Revis and Cromartie (something I'd absolutely love, as any Jets fan should) is that it might not be an option. There are holes in many places and not much cap room/draft picks to fix them. By keeping both, we're committing an outstanding amount of money to one position. Part of the current problem is that there is such a huge difference in large contracts on the team to "other" players. So much of our cap room is tied up to a handful of players. This Mock is about lessening that gap. The largest contract I'm giving out is 8,500,000 (Revis aside).

I totally understand where you are coming from about losing a lot of our defensive backfield. I'm not a GM, so maybe there's something I'm missing and keeping both CBs can be done in an appropriate way. I'm all for that._________________